After the Hometown parade, sitting in the beer tent somebody suggested I start publishing The Cascade Interpreter again. (Well, we were drinking!)
"God Forbid!" I said, "Dead skunks in my mailbox, and working from 5 a.m. till midnight."
However, by bottoms up I decided a council rundown here on Critical Eye Q might be a good thing. Cascade certainly should know what was discussed at special meeting the last Monday of July, with no other reporter or citizen there. I went to complain about farmer west of me spraying fungicide, (I presume) while there were kids in the pool and on the playground.
The first half of the meeting featured Marty Hoffman & Phil Gehl, city workers, describing a smelly situation that exists on the water line servicing the Bent Rim and residences in that area. The water smells so foul their clothes stink when they do laundry. Not to mention how it tastes.
In hot weather, Phil & Marty are obliged to flush the line. They explained water the city pumps from the aquifer has a small amount of ammonia in it. When that combines with the fluoride & chlorine the city adds and then gets in the old, lead pipes, (I presume, though, nobody really knows) the chemicals interact and the water stinks to high heaven. Worse in hot weather.
The remedy is obvious: a new water line, but, of course, there isn't any money. The second half of the meeting told us more about that than the first. Mayor Greg Staner laid out projections for new city growth, which he said would have to happen north of town, because we are hemmed in on the south side by the river. Hardly, there is already a big development there.
In short, what the city cares about more than its obligations to its existing and long-time residents, is getting more. Development, growing no matter the cost.
Casting a critical eye on the scene I didn't complain about the fungicide. After an hour, I was convinced nobody gave a damn anyway. What they care about is growth. I went home.
